The Host is the name given to the slavering horde of various
Hatelings that attempt to break through the
Black Forest's borders once in a blue moon.
Cause
What causes the Host to convene and rampage through the cursed woods remains unknown, but some theories exist. One of these theories, suggested by one Grand Magus Casperian Trond, is that the Host is an unconscious or even conscious attempt by the
Adversary to spread its influence beyond the borders of the Black Forest. What supports this theory is the fact that there is always a Hateling amid the writhing hordes that seems to be leading the Host, a kind of locus entity that, when slain, disperses the hateful legion. This entity, invariably a Hateling of considerable power, has been reported by
Seekers to even speak and bark orders to its lesser cousins in a guttural tongue that is not recorded in any scroll or tome.
If this theory holds true, the implications are dire. It would mean the Adversary is much more lucid than the church of
Resounding Truth has assumed for centuries, and could be a sign that the
Eternal Hymn is losing its effect. Any notion to such effect is, of course, considered blasphemy and treated as such. Still, one cannot help but wonder if this one and only defense against the Adversary's hellish hate is failing. Such dark thoughts are better forgotten.
Past Incursions
To date, there have been five times the Host has gathered to test the protectors of Nascindor. The first of these was the most devastating, as it happened without precedent and the Seekers were not ready for such an assault. It took the combined forces of all the Seeker fellowships, the
Telothian Legion and several detachments of
Arachnithan warriors from
Yng'zheb to halt and push back the tidal wave of abominations.
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